When The Vehicle Had Passed, I Turned Quietly Round; But, To My Astonishment, Heard It Stop, And Felt Myself, Almost At The Same Moment, Seized Forcibly By The Arms. It Was The Cossack Who Held Me, And Endeavoured To Drag Me To The Car.

I tried to release myself, pointed to the caravan, and said that I belonged to it.

The fellow immediately stopped my mouth with his hand, and threw me into the car, where I was tightly held by the other man. The Cossack immediately jumped up, and the driver urged his horses on as quickly as they could go. The whole was done so quickly that I scarcely knew what had happened to me. The men held me tightly by the arms, and my mouth was kept covered up until we were so far from the caravan that the people belonging to it could no longer have heard my cries.

Fortunately I was not frightened; I thought at once that these two amiable Russians might, in their zeal, have taken me for a very dangerous person, and have supposed they had made a very important capture. When they uncovered my mouth, they commenced questioning me as to my native country, name, etc. I understood enough Russian to give them this information, but they were not satisfied with that, and required to see my passport; I told them that they must send for my portmanteau, and then I would show them that I had permission to travel.

We came, at last, to the post-house, where I was taken into a room; the Cossack placed himself with his musket under the open door, so as to keep his eye continually on me; and the other man, who, from his dark-green velvet facings, I supposed to be one of the Emperor's officers, remained some time in the room. At the end of half an hour, the post-master, or whoever he was, came to examine me, and to hear an account of the achievements of my captors, who hastened, with laughing countenances, to give a complete statement of what had happened.

I was obliged to pass the night, under strict guard, upon a wooden bench, without either a wrapper or a mantle with me, and suffering from hunger and thirst. They neither gave me a coverlet nor a piece of bread; and when I merely rose from the bench to walk up and down the room, the Cossack rushed in immediately, seized my arms, and led me back to the bench, telling me, at the same time, that I must remain there quietly.

Towards morning they brought me my luggage, when I showed them my papers, and was set at liberty. Instead, however, of apologizing for having treated me in such a way, they laughed at me; and when I came out into the court, every one pointed at me with their fingers, and joined my gaolers in their laughter. Oh! you good Turks, Arabs, Persians, Hindoos, or whatever else you may be called, such treatment was never shown to me amongst you!

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